31 Just Observants

I was surprised, "Hold up, royalties? We never talked about that. It was supposed to be a one-time payment."

Railey's tone shifted. "Max, come on. We said we were in this together. I'm putting in the work, and it's only fair that if this blows up, we both ride the wave, you know? Plus, it's good for the long haul."

I retorted, "I don't agree with this. It wasn't part of the deal."

But Railey stuck to her guns. "Look, Max, I'm not doing this otherwise. We're partners, right?"

"Partners my ass... This wasn't the deal, Railey. If you're pulling this... then FUCK YOU.", I said calmly, at least I think so, and pushed the red button on my phone.

No way in hell I'm signing up for that. I could find someone way more talented to spice up my app design, even if it costs me a bit more.

Later on, Railey dropped a message, talking about maybe settling for a one-time payout. But by then, I wasn't about to hire someone who can't keep their word.

After this stunt, I had Railey all figured out. I ain't dumb. The move she made on me back in London probably had some shady reasons, too.

Well... I should look online for some credible artists, though, cause my app needs a revamp for sure.

GAI Weather sat on over 2,000 plan purchases and a whopping 180,000 app downloads. That brought in almost $20,000 a month. With the Adomi deal in the mix, I was looking at becoming a millionaire in less than a year. Life looked really sweet, but...

If I wanted to fund my research on monopoles and quantum manipulation, we're talking billions just to get the party started.

Look at the Large Hadron Collider, chilling on the border of France and Switzerland—that set them back a cool $4.5 billion. CERN's planning a new one, and the price tag's floating around $20 billion.

The game with subatomic particles is no joke in terms of cash. Sure, I could do some basic research without breaking the bank, but sooner or later, I know I'm gonna be in need of some serious money. 

Angel investors tossing cash my way might be a blessing, but let's be real—it ain't gonna cut it, at least not until I lay down some rock-solid groundwork for my ambitious plans. Gotta play this smart.

Stepping into this idea I previously kicked around with Professor Terence Tao, the initial move would be proving the existence of monopoles.

Earlier studies in the first and second decades of the 21st century did uncover some structures showcasing monopole-like behavior. However, the twist here is that they were actually dipoles, but structured in a way that gave off the same vibes as a monopole. Tricky stuff.

Lost in my thoughts while scrolling through research papers online, a glance at the clock snapped me back to reality—it was already 11 AM.

My first lecture was kicking off in just 30 minutes.

What's the administration thinking? Are they expecting students to roll from the official opening straight into a lecture? What about changing clothes?

I quickly put on some more elegant threads, well... I didn't want to stand out like a sore thumb.

I stepped out of my room and made my way to Hall B, the designated spot for the lecture. Each hall had its own color, and this one? A sharp, almost obnoxious shade of yellow.

Not a fan of that...

So, I stroll into Hall B, and there's a pair of early birds already chillin' in their seats—two dudes, classic in a major that's mostly a sausage fest.

The rest of the class is probably still at the opening or on their way unless they pulled the classic move of ditching this Python programming lecture.

As for a software architecture major, I would expect software structures, microservices, server resources management, and more. However, we're starting with the basics—Python programming.

Seems like some folks come in here without a clue where to even begin.

As everyone rolled into the hall, in the midst of all the semi-formal clothes, Casandra - the short girl next door that I had talked with briefly - breezed in, still rocking her signature baggy jeans and an oversized tee...

The hell? Did she hit the official opening like that too?

She spotted me and threw a grin my way, her eyes lighting up like she just hit the jackpot.

"Hey, Max, mind if I snag the seat next to you?" she asked, her tone casual.

"No problem at all" I replied, and she settled in beside me. Shortly after, Rick entered, his towering frame making him noticeable even in the crowd.

Rick closed in on us, giving me a nod. We already knew each other, but Casandra, on the other hand, was a new face to him.

"Hey there! You planning to sit with us?" she called out.

Rick acknowledged her with a smile and took the seat next to me. Casandra leaned in, introducing herself. "I'm Casandra. What's your name?"

"Rick Rosby," he replied, and after a quick exchange of pleasantries, he shot me a questioning look, silently asking how I knew her.

Casandra, clueless to the quiet back-and-forth, kept on chatting as the hall buzzed with more students.

Then, in walked Professor Liam Osby, head of the Software Engineering department. This young professor with dark locks was a surprise.

My eyebrow shot up in surprise. Wasn't this lecture assigned to someone else?

Professor Osby gave the room a once-over, and his eyes locked onto me. I tossed him a nod, expecting some acknowledgment, but nada. Instead, he sauntered up to the podium.

"Morning, folks, I'm Professor Liam Osby" the professor greeted, his voice sharp and direct. "Hope you're all awake, 'cause we're getting into some Python today. Now, Professor Matheo, the usual maestro, is taking a little vacation, so unfortunately, you're stuck with me."

He leaned against the podium, scanning the room with a mix of amusement and seriousness. "Let's get one thing straight. We're here to have some fun with Python. This ain't rocket science... well, maybe a bit. But don't worry; I'm not here to torture you."

His tone shifted slightly, adopting a more serious note. "Listen up. If you're lagging behind, no hand-holding here. This ain't the place for it. Ask your classmates for help. Join a study group, whatever it takes."

With a quick nod, he added, "By the end of this semester, if you can't sling some code or tackle the theoretical stuff on the exam, well, it's a sad farewell. No hard feelings, just how it goes. You understand?"

Professor Osby waited for a response, but the hall remained quiet, until one courageous student said under his nose, "Yes, Professor"

"That's the spirit! Now, let's make Python your new best friend.", the professor answered and opened up a presentation.

We went through the fundamental types in Python, conditional expressions, and loops. Everything that any program ever needs. Of course, that's if you're aiming for an unreadable masterpiece of a 2 million-line garbage pile.

The whole hall buzzed as students pulled out their MacBooks and Notepads, scribbling that shit down, like the presentations aren't available online.

I was fully aware that this would probably change in a couple of days when they came to their right mind.

Casandra, nudged me and asked, "Hey, Max, why aren't you writing anything down?"

Before I could respond, Rick chimed in, "Maybe you missed the memo. Max here is so far ahead of the game; he doesn't need notes for this stuff. Don't you read the school's website, Casandra?"

Casandra looked puzzled, "Hmm? What are you talking about? I didn't check."

"But wait," Casandra turned to Rick, "why aren't you taking notes either?"

Rick, with a smirk, dropped the bomb, "I work at Microsoft. This is all basic stuff."

Casandra's eyes widened. "You work at Microsoft? Seriously?"

"Yep, been there for a while now. This Python thing is like kindergarten for both of us," he said with a sly grin.

I added, "We're here for moral support, you know? Keepin' the energy in the room up. Plus, we give the professors a challenge – can they teach us anything we don't already know?"

Casandra laughed, "So, you two are just here to... sit and do nothing?"

"Exactly!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in mock surrender. "It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it."

Rick nodded, "Yep, it's a talent, really. Takes years of practice to master the art of looking engaged while doing absolutely nothing."

As the lecture continued, Casandra couldn't help but shake her head at our antics, realizing that Rick and I had perfected the fine art of being present without actually participating.

I added, "Seriously, though. I have a tip for you, Casandra. There is this magical thing called lecture slides on the school's page"

"Really? Why is everyone typing this down, then?"

"Well, that's MIT for you. I think the Professor did it on purpose. I bet he will tell everyone about it at the end of the lecture..."